Inlaid linoleum.



PATBNTBD APR. 14, 1908.

T. T. HOLLI-NGER. INLAID LINOLBUM.

APPL'IUATIOH FILED FEB. 15. 1906.

y Q #2 M m PATENT onr on.

THOMAS T. HOLLINGER,

OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

INLAID LINOLEUM.

Application filed February 15, 1906.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 14,1908.

Serial No. 301,286.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, THOMAS T. HoLL1N= GER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, county of'Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful m rovement in Inlaid Linoleum; and I dec are the followin to be a full, clear, and exact description 0 the same, such as will enable othersskilledin the art to which it ertains to make and use the same, reference eing had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to floor coverings; it has for its object an improved'plastic material in similar character to what is popularly known'as linoleum, and which may be used either for floor coverings or wall coverings,

as may be desired.

The special object of the'invention is to produce such amaterial in a combination of colors, so arranged that the color scheme presents a pictorial effect, especially an effect which re resents the surface or'grain of wood,

and wit the colors so arranged that each color forms a part of the composite material,

' and extends back from the surface so that in effect the onecolor is inlaid with the other.

. Generall there is a body color, which is first lai upon the canvas backing of the linoleum, and this is inter enetrated by thin masses of a different color lai'd into deep cuts or cavities in the mass having the body color, and this produces the desired configuration upon the surface of thecompleted material, and the configuration is permanent and-not destroyedb'y use.

In the drawingzFigure 1; is a perspec-' tive showing the ap earance of a completed piece of the materiaf. Fig. 2, is a cross section showing orindicating the arrangement of the two colors of material back from-the surface.

The facing material, which is generally of a composition of an oxidized oil and'cork quite finely ground, or some similar material is pressed strongly and heavily against a canvas back 1, making an even coating of the lastic material 2, of the surface thereof.

. nto this plastic surface, while it is still in a green statei are made deep incisions extendingas neary as ispracticable to the canvas. backing; these incisions? are made in short cuts and are arranged with reference to one another to produce on the surface of the material a wavy appearance, characteristic of what is known as the graiii"""of wood. If a careful examination of the grain of wood be made, it will be found that it has in nearly every instance, the appearance of short slightl sunken lines of a dark color in a surface 0 ground color that is not so dark. The general direction of these lines is lengthwise of the original log from which the lumber is cut, but owing to the irregularities in the growth of the timber the surfaceof lumber presents the grain lines in aggregations that are more or less wavy or irregular, but it will be found that in a given kind of Wood, the length of each individual line is quite well defined, and while in any piece of wood there may be brought close together a number of these grain lines of varying length, it will be found that the have great regularity, that in their genera characters they lie substantially parallel to what may be considered the axis of the log, and that the feature which characterizes most wood, and which appears at a distance as wavy lines running across the surface, is in reality aggregations of short lines, each of which runs lengthwise of the surface, but which are so disposed as to proindicated in F 1. The length of these lines differ in di erent varieties of wood, and in some varieties of wood, the lines are replaced b small specks or spots with inters ersed ines arranged in the same way.

ither feature may be copied in the inlaying process by which the result of, this invention 18 produced, that is, I may prepare the body of the material by cutting into it short slits, whose axes are substantially parallel to the axis of the timber, or'I may plerce the material with irregular holes ag regated to produce the same general result, or 'I may use both small irregular holes and slits. In any case, I copy a specific character of wood, and produce an appearance similar to the model that I have used. These-short slits or other apertures are filled while the material is in a green uncured condition,- with material simiinstance, to produce the effect of red oak, the foundation material should be of a buff verging onto ye1low,and the' lists should be about half an inch long, or varying v erhaps between three eighths and two-t irds of an inch, and these slits should'be filled with madation, but of the proper color to produce the duce the general wavy character of the lines lar in character but colored with a igment of a color to produce the desired c act. For

terial similar in character to that of the. foundesired result. After the material is cured, I

the two substances coalesce and form a solid I gencous coverinfi homogeneous mass in which the filling material runs so deeply into the foundation mate rial that it is practically as indestructible as the foundation itself.

What I claim is I 1. A covering material having in combination a fabric base, a plastic coating laid 'directly thereon, said coating having a lurality of small lines deeply indented in its exposed surface, and material homogeneous with said coating-but of diiierent color, inlaid in said small lines, substantially as described.

2. As a new article of manufacture, in combination with a flexible backing, a homo- 

